One week later, on September 24, the general debate, the ritual at which the heads of state and government empty into that city to say what they please about whatever they please, will commence.
The fifth speaker on that first day, taking the microphone right after the likes of Brazil and the United States which customarily open the event, will be Nigeria.
Mugabe was your quintessential orator, particularly at the General Assembly. For most of two decades, I circled his performance on my calendar to ensure I did not miss it. You did not have to agree with him at all; that is not the point. He simply was a delight to listen to, and each year, he made his case with such cadence and delivery he was irresistible.
Last Wednesday, Mnangagwa was at the airport in Harare to receive Mugabe at the end of his final flight. The ironies could not have been more obvious: nobody lined the streets, and the crowd at the airport were in the hundreds, a world away from the 100,000 in 1980 when he had returned from exile, just months before he was then elected president.
And yes, Mugabe—like many a fine African leader—had not sought treatment in Africa, and therefore found death abroad in Singapore. As is normally the case in Africa, there was no hospital of the highest quality that he built at any point in 37 years that was worthy of him. In Zimbabwe itself, the Mugabes were reported to own several farms and six residences, “including a multi-storey mansion.” That monument to opulence was known as The Blue Roof, with one authoritative account describing it as featuring “25 bedrooms, a large outdoor pool, two lakes, a massive dining room that can seat more than 30 guests, a large master bedroom with super king-size bed and a multimillion-dollar radar system.” Price tag: over $9m.
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